NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, on Friday accused the ED of misrepresenting the diet chart prepared by his doctor, and opposed the agency’s allegations of deliberately increasing sugar levels, saying that he cannot risk “paralysis" just to get bail.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court reserved her verdict for Monday on CM Kejriwal’s application seeking consultation with a doctor for April 22, and directed Tihar Jail to file any reply, if required, by Saturday.
“The ED claimed that I want to increase my blood sugar levels to get bail. Am I going to risk paralysis to get bail? Whatever food I had was as per the diet chart prepared by the doctor prior to arrest,” Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for CM Kejriwal, said.
The AAP argued that the ED is being “petty” and “politicising” his food.
On Thursday, the probe agency had alleged that CM Kejriwal was deliberately eating mangoes and other high-carb food in Tihar Jail to raise his blood sugar levels to build a case for bail.
The Delhi Chief Minister is in judicial custody till April 23 for his alleged involvement in the excise policy case.
The ED has alleged that CM Kejriwal is consciously consuming items like tea with sugar, banana, sweets (1/2 pieces), poori, aloo sabji, etc. on a regular basis, despite being a Type 2 diabetes patient, “knowing very well that consumption of such items results in an increase in sugar levels.”
The agency also said that this is being done to create a medical emergency “to obtain sympathetic treatment from the court on medical grounds."
CM Kejriwal on Friday moved a fresh application seeking direction to jail authorities to administer insulin and allow him to consult with doctors through video conferencing daily for 15 minutes for his acute diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels.
CM Kejriwal’s counsel said that his client had mangoes thrice and aloo puri only once.
“The allegation is that I have been consuming mangoes... Out of 48 meals sent from home, only three times mangoes were there… No mangoes have been sent after April 8. The mangoes have been made to look like sugar bullets. Their sugar level is much less than brown rice or white rice,” Singhvi told the court.
“I only use sugar free in my tea. How petty, political and ridiculous ED can be? Their statements are completely false and malicious. Just because you have a lot of influence in the media you are able to publish that I am having aloo puri even though this meal was sent once during pooja,” he told the court.
Singhvi further argued, “Am I a gangster that I cannot even be allowed to have 15 minutes VC consultation with my doctor? We have had democracy for 75 years but I am seeing such an approach for the first time.”
The ED opposed Singhvi’s submission, claiming that the content of CM Kejriwal’s diet did not match the prescribed diet of the doctor.
It further opposed CM Kejriwal’s application seeking consultation with a doctor, saying that the jail had sufficient medical facilities.
“What has ED got to do with this hearing? It is between me and jail and court? They are having a media trial and the Press is publishing anything it wants,” Senior Counsel Ramesh Gupta for CM Kejriwal argued.